Tom Brady, who brings the New England Patriots to Minneapolis to play in another Super Bowl next Sunday, is 40 years old. The legendary quarterback could play until he’s 45, Jason Kapsner figures.

Kapsner is qualified to voice that opinion. With a birthday just eight days apart from that of Brady, the former all-stater from Eden Prairie and Brady were quarterback teammates at the University of Michigan.

“I think he’s legitimately in better shape at the age of 40 than he was when he was 22,” Kapsner said. “He came out of school in not the best shape, and he’s certainly figured some things out over the years. Now he’s in tremendous shape. I think he’s going to keep playing — it’s how fit he is and how quickly he gets the ball out, he doesn’t take as many hits. I really think he could play three, four, five more years.”

Kapsner said Brady dramatically changed eating habits his senior year in college.

“He didn’t eat right, but then he tried to lose a bunch of weight,” Kapsner said. “We’d go to a Subway and he wouldn’t eat any carbs — he’d take out the meat and vegetables and that’s all he would eat. He wouldn’t eat the bread. It was all part of cutting weight back then, and he got a little bit faster and lighter on his feet.”

Brady was in Kapsner’s wedding party. The two text regularly and remain good pals from their days with the Wolverines. Jason watched Brady shred Jacksonville 24-20 a week ago to advance to his eighth Super Bowl next Sunday in Minneapolis.

“I was hoping for my dream game with the Vikings and New England playing each other,” Kapsner said. “But it’ll be a fun couple of weeks with his (Brady’s) family coming to town. He really is a great guy — he’s a genuine dude.”

These days, Kapsner owns the Blue Bird Group in downtown Minneapolis, selling products to Best Buy and Target.

A look at pitching analytics, which the Twins now cherish, shows either of free agents Lance Lynn or Alex Cobb might be just as worthy as high-priced Yu Darvish.

Lynn might be the best buy.

Last season, Lynn, 30, started 33 games for the St. Louis Cardinals. Cobb, 30, started 29 for Tampa Bay. Darvish, 31, started 31 games for the Dodgers. Innings pitched: Lynn 186, Cobb 179, Darvish 186.

An important gauge in analyzing starters is how many games in which they gave up no earned runs in at least five innings. Lynn had six of those games last season, Cobb three and Darvish five.

Allowing just one earned run over five innings: Lynn 10, Cobb eight and Darvish five. Two earned runs: Lynn seven, Cobb four and Darvish seven.

Those totals show Lynn (23) pitched significantly better than Cobb (15) and Darvish (17) last season.

In starts during which they gave up three earned runs, Lynn had two, Cobb six and Darvish six. Considered poor starts (at least five earned runs), Lynn had three, Cobb one and Darvish four.

There have been some 5,800 media credentials representing 25 countries issued for the Super Bowl in Minneapolis.

Beloved Fred Zamberletti, 86, the Vikings Ring of Honor member who resides in Hopkins, has attended 10 Super Bowls and will pass on the Feb. 4 game in Minneapolis, instead giving his tickets to his daughter, Julie.

That was noted actor-comedian Nick Swardson, who attended St. Paul Central, sporting a Minnesota Twins T-shirt during a comedy performance in Phoenix last week.

Gary Trent Jr., the ex-Apple Valley basketball star, is third in scoring as a freshman at Duke, averaging 14.7 points per game.

The Wild had four scouts among 40 from the NHL who attended Tuesday’s Minnesota State vs. Minnesota Duluth game in Mankato.

St. Paul’s John Focke, who covers the Timberwolves and Lynx, has been named Minnesota broadcaster of the year by the National Sports Media Association.

When Whitey Aus, the noted former St. Olaf men’s hockey coach, died at age 80 the other day, Sean Goldsworthy lost the guy who probably was the biggest influence on his life, he said. Goldsworthy played for Aus at St. Olaf.

“He was a big mentor for me and a big reason why I got into coaching,” said Goldsworthy, coach of No. 1-ranked Minnetonka High. “He impacted my life in every way possible. He was like a father figure to me. He’s the best man I know. A tough loss. I think a lot of guys can say that.”

University of St. Thomas men’s basketball coach Johnny Tauer and his father, John, the former Nativity coach, will be inducted into the Catholic Athletic Association Hall of Fame at a Feb. 12 dinner at Mendakota Country Club.

The 78th Original Old Timers Hot Stove banquet was canceled because of a snowstorm last week. A bus carrying a Twins contingent on the way to the Oakdale event had to be towed out of the snow.

St. Paul’s Gordy Jones was to be the honored Old Timer and infielder Ryan Nickel from Mounds View the Fourth District Klark-Killen American Legion MVP.

Condolences to the family of Les Layton, a former longtime Pioneer Press reporter who was a wonderful writer and active member of the Minnesota Golf Association editorial board.

Don’t print that

What the Vikings decide regarding quarterbacks might be the most interesting offseason move in the NFL.

Entering the playoff game at Philadelphia, it appeared QB Case Keenum’s free-agent market value was in the $45 million, three-year range. Now, after his mediocre performance in the 38-7 loss, Keenum, who turns 30 next month, might be able to command a $15 million deal, but for just one year guaranteed.

The blowout loss to Philadelphia might also have cost Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, who is believed to have two years left on his contract, an immediate contract extension.

The Vikings probably still consider Sam Bradford, 30, their best QB but would have to roll the dice on whether he can stay healthy with his unreliable left knee (three surgeries). At this point, there isn’t a definite QB option, either internally or externally. The Vikings might have to go back to Keenum because they don’t have a better option.

Signing Bradford would save money because it probably would take just $8 million or so guaranteed compared with the $18 million he received for playing in two games this season, with roster bonuses for each week he’s healthy.

It still appears free-agent QB Teddy Bridgewater’s days in Minnesota are finished and that he’ll end up with a team that will give him a chance in training camp, maybe Buffalo or hometown Miami, or Washington if Kirk Cousins leaves as a free agent.

Regarding the Vikings’ chances of signing Cousins, they would have to greatly overpay — maybe $23 million a season — for a quarterback who has been good but not great.

At a pro sports apparel store Saturday at the Mall of America, Packers Aaron Rodgers jerseys were available for $75. Bradford and Bridgewater jerseys of the same brand were reduced from $75 to $55.

Pssst: A wild-card QB for the Vikings might be Cincinnati backup AJ McCarron, who will have a grievance arbitration on Feb. 15 to determine if he’s an unrestricted free agent rather than restricted for the coming season.

If unrestricted, McCarron, 27, could turn out to be a Vikings backup QB to either Keenum or Bradford but competent enough to replace if needed.

Because the Vikings are picking so late (No. 30) in the draft, they are not in a position to trade up for a QB. For the Vikings to get in a position this spring to draft a QB, they probably would have to give up their first-round pick and a third-rounder, and their first-rounder inn 2019. And the QB they would get probably wouldn’t be ready for at least a year.

The rookie from Texas Tech this season started just once for Kansas City, defeating Denver 27-24 while passing for 284 yards.

Vikings QB coach Kevin Stefanski, who this weekend interviews for the team’s offensive coordinator job, has a chance of to succeed departed Pat Shurmur. If that happens, Chris Weinke, the former Heisman Trophy winner who coached Keenum with the St. Louis Rams and L.A. Rams, as well as the Eagles’ Nick Foles in St. Louis, would seem a worthwhile choice to succeed Stefanski.

Keenum is a big fan of Weinke, the Cretin-Derham Hall grad who last season was an offensive assistant for national champion Alabama and now is a free-agent coach.

Fired Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, also interviewing for the Vikings OC job, was among a half-dozen candidates interviewed for the Vikings head coaching job that went to Mike Zimmer four years ago.

For Super Bowl Sunday, both Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and Holman Field are sold out for reservations for private jets to land.

Prices for the Super Bowl from secondary brokers are falling. It seems they aren’t many local buyers willing to pay big prices to watch two teams they hate, the Patriots and Eagles. Most of the ticket interest is from Eagles rooters. With nine days before the big game, ticket prices were generally down to $2,800.

The NFL made available tickets to “friends” for $2,100.

After giving up 62 points in the final five quarters of this season, the Vikings are the sixth-best team in the NFL, according to Pro Football Weekly, which lists, in order, the Patriots, Eagles, Falcons, Jaguars and Steelers as better than them.

Some of the Vikings coaching staff are in Mobile, Ala., scouting the Senior Bowl.

Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, the pair who will call the Super Bowl for NBC Sports, and much of the crew will stay in St. Paul during the week before the game in Minneapolis.

Randy Moss, the ill-mannered ex-Viking, disparaged a team locker room buffet at Winter Park seven years ago by refusing to eat the catered spread of Tinucci’s of Newport.

But Tinucci’s is doing just fine, providing food during Super Bowl week for the Minneapolis police, the National Guard and snow blowers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

A $10 wager would pay $35 if Super Bowl halftime act Justin Timberlake’s first song is “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” according to Betonline.ag. And odds are that the national anthem, to be sung by Pink, will last more than two minutes.

In coach P.J. Fleck’s second season at Minnesota this year, the Gophers will finish sixth, ahead of only Illinois, in the Big Ten’s West Division, predicts athlonsports.com. Wisconsin is No. 1.

Thirteen years ago, former Gopher Bruce Smith’s 1941 Heisman Trophy was sold through auction for $395,240, a record price for a handful of the trophies that ended up on market. But last week, Rashaan Salaam’s 1994 Heisman broke the record, getting $399,608 via online auction.

A week ago, the St. Thomas-St. John’s men’s basketball game in Collegeville drew 2,604 spectators. The same day, the Gophers-Ohio State men’s basketball game at Madison Square Garden drew 4,136.

Ex-Timberwolf Christian Laettner embarrassed himself once again by trying to be funny in a new video ad for FanDuel that’s not funny.

Jimmy Butler’s No. 23 Timberwolves jersey has become the 15th-best seller in the NBA. No other Timberwolves are among the top 15.

Football, which in 2007 was considered America’s favorite sport to watch by 43 percent of U.S. adults in a Gallup poll, remains No. 1 but has dropped to 37 percent.

Overheard

Tony Dungy, the ex-Gopher who’ll be a Super Bowl analyst for NBC Sports, on Eagles QB Nick Foles, who sliced up the Vikings for three TDs last week, facing the Patriots: “Nick Foles is going to have to have another near-perfect game in order for them to win.”

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